Bernie Sanders, Geraldo Rivera, and Barack Obama Tear Into Trump

All corners of the political spectrum are weighing in on Trump’s cruelty.

Imagine being 2 years old, or 5 years old, or even 10 years old, and your parents made the decision to leave their country and move illegally to the United States. Whether they crossed a border illegally or overstayed a tourist visa, you became a part of the illegal community living in the USA. You grow up speaking English, going to school, and becoming part of the U.S. culture. You have never been back to Central America, Mexico, or even the Philippines, or other countries like Japan. You have emigrated to the United States illegally. Your whole life is here. Your friends, your school, your job.

You did well in school, and you even earned a scholarship, which maybe you are unable to accept, because you are in the United States illegally. In 2012, former President Barack Obama created DACA, a program that allowed these children to work or study as long as they had no felony convictions on their records and as long as they had entered the US before they were 16 years old.

DACA was not and is not a path to citizenship. All DACA does is allow these young people to be able to stay in the country. They can apply for a social security number so they can work. They are not allowed to collect any federal benefits. DACA kids can only become permanent residents if they are sponsored by a family member who is a citizen. This is a long path.

Trump is calling to end DACA with a 6 month delay. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted that if Trump decides to end DACA, it will be one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions made by a president in modern history. Sanders also tweeted that taking legal protection away from 800,000 young people raised in this country is absolutely counter to what we stand for as a country. Sanders also said that if Trump ends DACA, congress must act to restore it.

Geraldo Rivera of Fox News commented that if Trump revokes DACA “then the all of the false statements up until now, false statements about the cruelty of Donald Trump will be true.” Host Pete Hesgeth replied that it is a powerful emotional argument, but it runs counter to the rule of law, which is always ruled in our country. Rivera rebutted with “You know something? If the rule of laws calls for cruelty against a 2-year-old, then I say screw the law,” Rivera said. “And I say the president of the United States cannot become the stereotype his enemies want him to be.

As far as Trump is concerned, DACA is illegal amnesty. He campaigned on this issue, and now he has been backed into a corner. The program ends September 5. Some Republican attorney generals are calling for an end to the program. However, there is a bi-partisan call to not end the program. AZCentral (The digital version of the Arizona Republic) cited that ‘Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery backed off his threat to sue over DACA. He cited a “human element” and urged Congress to act. House Speaker Paul Ryan, told WCLO, his hometown radio station that Trump ending DACA is not the fix he wants. He joined a call for a legislative solution.’

Former President Barack Obama has said that he will not sit idly if Trump decides to end the DACA program. Obama has said that “efforts to round up kids who have grown up here, and for all practical purposes are American kids, and send them someplace else, when they love this country.” would cause him to speak out.